Description
gzexe in the gzip package on Red Hat Linux 5.0 and earlier allows local users to overwrite files of other users via a symlink attack on a temporary file.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | gzip | 1.3.5-6 | — |
| Debian 13 | gzip | 1.3.5-6 | — |
| Debian 12 | gzip | 1.3.5-6 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | gzip | 1.3.2-3woody1 | DSA-308 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-308 gzip - insecure temporary files Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- DSA-308 vendor-advisory
- 7845 vdb-entry
- gzip-gzexe-tmp-symlink(7241) vdb-entry
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/rh50-errata-general.html#gzip
- 19980128 GZEXE - the big problem mailing-list
- 3812 vdb-entry